One fine day, part 3

Happy Memorial Day, everyone! We're going to bring my birthday blogs to a close with one final blog about what happened after my great birthday party. I got to open a few gifts - though the bows were my favorite part.


One of my favorite gifts was from Uncle Ryan, who got me a crocodile teeter-totter. Julia and I went on it right away!



What fun! Julia also rode it like a horsey.


Here's a video of our fun with Uncle Ryan's gifts. Julia got something called a plasma car, which seems really fun but we're still trying to figure out how it works.



And there you have it: all of my birthday highlights. What an unbelievable day, huh?

One fine day, part 2

The best part of my birthday, without a doubt, was the big birthday party that Mom and Dad threw for me. Tons of friends and family showed up, though I was so tired out from playing with the balloons in the morning that I ended up napping for the first hour. No matter, because the party was in full swing by the time I emerged in the backyard, and discovered that there were so many things set up for me (and all the other kids) to play with.



Julia had fun too, making crafts.


I got to bond with friends and family I hadn't seen in far too long, like Uncle Ryan.


And look, a photo of me with Mom and Dad! You only see pictures of us together a couple times a year!


Then it was time for the birthday cakes.


Alec and Isabella's mom made these two delicious ice cream cakes at her Haagan-Dazs stores in New York City (and at the bottom you can see a special cake that Mom baked just for me). Here Julia and I are getting ready to be serenaded (even though it was my party, I said it was okay for everyone to sing "Happy Birthday" to Julia too).



After everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and "Mnohaya Lita," Julia and I blew out our candles.


Then, just like Julia did on her first birthday, Mom and Dad let me go to town on my special little birthday cake. At first I was tentative...


But before long I was making a big ol' mess!



I had never had tasted cake or frosting before, and it was delicious! And getting to make a big mess was great too!

Here's a video of all the fun from my birthday party:



And we're still not done! Check back tomorrow for some final birthday odds and ends.

One fine day, part 1

We're going to close out the week with a three posts devoted to talking about my gigantic 1st birthday celebration on Saturday. Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Paula came up on Friday to get a headstart on the celebration. So from the moment I woke up, I was feeling the birthday love...though I wasn't interested in wearing my birthday hat!


Mom and Dad hung up a huge, colorful Happy Birthday banner in the family room, and I was riveted. I couldn't stop staring at it.


I also got to open up a few birthday gifts...and they sure were tasty!


But the best part of the morning came when I got back from a walk with Grandpa and Aunt Paula to discover...


Balloons!


Lots and lots of balloons!


Everywhere!


What a wonderful birthday it was turning out to be! Here's a video of my great morning:



Little did I know, that was just the beginning. Check back tomorrow to hear all about my party!

Pipa Fairy tale

Before Henry devotes the rest of the week to talking about his birthday party, I wanted to chime in with a quick update (and an excuse to run this awesome photo again). First off, there were lots of tears last night as I came to to realization that giving my pipas to the Pipa Fairy - who was supposed to take my pipas away last night - meant that there were no pipas left for me. I tearfully tried to convince Mom to give me some of Henry's pipas, but no dice. Still, I went to sleep sans pipa, and in the middle of the night I rushed in to tell Mom and Dad that the Pipa Fairy had indeed come — the bowlful of my pipas we left out for her was empty!

I went to the doctor for my 3-year checkup this morning, and I've sprouted up to 39.75 inches (which keeps me in the 95th percentile) but my weight has stayed the same at 35 lbs. (I've dropped to the 85th percentile - I'm slimming down a bit!). The doctor was very impressed that I'm all done with diapers and pipas—so it was all worth it in the end. I was a very good girl as he checked me out, and I was also very brave when they drew blood for some tests (yes, there were sobs after my shot, but come on!).

No diapers, no pipas...wow, I'm almost an adult!

Three is a magic number

Guess whose third birthday it is today?


That's right, mine! How exciting! Mom and Dad brought Munchkins to school today so all my classmates could have a special treat for my birthday. And I have a few goodies for you guys, too. First up: speaking of treats, here's a cute little video about one of my favorites...



I also wanted to share some gorgeous pictures that my friend Soleil's mom took of me during Henry's birthday party on Saturday.





Aren't they amazing?

One more thing before I go. Tonight is a big night for me, one that Mom and Dad have been talking about for months. Now that I'm three, this is the night that the Pipa Fairy comes and takes all my pipas away so she can give them to a little baby girl who doesn't have any pipas. That means no more pipas for me, believe it or not. Wow, I really am getting older!

Flash forward

I had such a fun birthday party, which I'll tell you all about later this week. But first, I wanted to share one of the biggest perks of turning 1: my carseat, which had faced backwards all my life, now faces forward! What a revelation...I can't believe everything I've been missing out on seeing all these months, like Mom and Dad!

Happy birthday to me!

It's my first birthday today! And what a great day it was: I had a super-fun birthday party with all my favorite people, and more balloons than I've ever seen before! I can't wait to tell you all about it next week!

House warming

Tomorrow is my first birthday, if you can believe it. We're going to have a big party for family and friends, but Mom and Dad already gave me my birthday present. It's a joint gift for Julia and me: an outdoor playhouse!


Isn't it terrific? I love that it has a slide too. And unlike some playhouses, there's plenty of room inside for both me and my big sister.


Here's a look at how we discovered our birthday gift:



Thanks, Mom and Dad! (And sorry it took you four hours to put it together!) And just think, the next time I blog I'll be 1 whole year old!

Julia's birthday party (Henry remix)

So Julia told you all about her birthday party, but you didn't see too much of me in yesterday's photo and videos. But fear not, because I had an amazing time too!



It was my first time ever visiting a Little Gym, and I went exploring everywhere. It took something like seven or eight different people to keep track of me, I was so active. Here's a video of what my experience was like at Julia's birthday party.



Hey Mom and Dad, you better sign me up for a Little Gym class ASAP!

We're gonna party like it's my birthday

I've been to a few birthday parties at the Little Gym this year, but none of them compared to my Little Gym birthday bash, which Mom and Dad threw for me on Saturday. I was so excited for the big party, and Mom picked out a pretty purple dress for me to wear.


Lots of my classmates from school were there, along with some of my other friends. Here, the instructor asked who the birthday girl was, and Anne pointed me out!


The instructors had lots of energy, and managed to keep us 25 kids entertained and active the whole time.


They pulled out the parachute...


And I got to take a ride in the center all by myself! Being the birthday girl sure has its privileges! Then they pulled all the balls out and I was jumping around with glee!


And best of all, they inflated the Air Track so we could all bounce around on it. Here I am waiting for them to get it ready.


After we were worn out from all the activities, it was time for pizza and fruit. And look at my cute Little Mermaid balloon!


Then everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me, and after I blew out my Little Mermaid candle, we all had delicious cupcakes with — what else? — purple frosting in honor of yours truly.


But the pictures don't really do the party justice. So get comfy (because this video is loooooong) and watch all my birthday party highlights:



What a terrific party! I slept really well after that, as you can imagine. And what did Henry think of his first visit to the Little Gym? He'll tell you all about it tomorrow.